By ASHLEY WESTAWAY, Gadra Education manager
Gadra Education is delighted to announce the 2021 results of the Gadra Matric School (GMS). In 2021, GMS enrolled 211 students. Of these, 156 (74%) obtained Bachelor level passes, 50 Diploma passes, and four Higher Certificate passes. Only one student from the Class of 2021 failed to obtain a National Senior Certificate. This constitutes a 99,5% pass rate.
GMS has specifically focused on enabling its students to obtain good quality results for the past few years. It is thus very pleasing that GMS has again assisted over 140 of its students to get a Bachelor level pass for the third consecutive year. When one considers this statistic in conjunction with the stellar results of Makhanda’s public schools, it becomes apparent that the city is indeed the leading educational centre in the Eastern Cape Province.
The most significant measure of quality is subject distinctions. In 2021, GMS students obtained ten distinctions. Two that deserve particular mention are Siya Mondile’s 96% for religion Studies and Wonganathi Gxogxo’s 86% for Mathematics. Wonganathi started the year with an incoming MATH result of 55%. Registering a 31 percentage point improvement in the most conceptually demanding school subject is a phenomenal achievement.
GMS’s strong performance in the final examinations confirms that the school will remain Rhodes University’s biggest feeder in 2022.
Gadra Education is committed to assisting Dr Mabizela (the university’s Vice-Chancellor) in his bid to make the university more accessible to local youth, and GMS is a critical institution in this regard. The organisation would like to thank the Vice-Chancellor for sustaining programmes such as the Bridging Programme run in partnership with the university.
In 2021, there were a record number of Gadra students able to register for a Rhodes subject credit due to the progressive commitments of Dr Mabizela. The vast majority of these students succeeded in securing their respective Rhodes credits and are now poised to register for full-time study.
Gadra Education would like to thank and commend all those responsible for producing such stellar results: the Principal, the teachers, students, parents, and other family members. 2021 was Timothy Hacksley’s first year as the GMS Principal, and we congratulate him on having had such a strong start in this vital role.
The purpose of GMS is to afford young people who have already written NSC examinations the opportunity to upgrade their matric results. The 156 Bachelor passes referred to above derive from combining GMS results with results obtained from the initial examinations. It, therefore, goes without saying that the success of GMS is contingent upon a functional local public schooling system.
The organisation recognises that it builds on the prior efforts of all local public schools. Gadra is a community initiative; the organisation belongs to all of Makhanda and depends on a vast array of local people and institutions for its success.
The closing date for GMS applications for 2022 is 28 January. Application forms are available from the Gadra Education offices at 1 Thompson Street.
For further information, contact Dr Ashley Westaway (ashley@gadraed.co.za, 083 384 4660, or 046 – 622 4837).
